Monk In Scotland
Martin City Brewing Company

 

 

 

Received from @THSdrummer in NBS BIF #5.
Canned on Aug 13, 2016. Stored at 42 degrees and served at 61 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter.
Aroma – Dark fruit, maybe a hint of malt.
Head – small. Maximum less than two cm, controlled pour, tan, high density creamy, average retention, diminishing to an irregular one to three mm ring and center island of extremely tiny bubbles.
Lacing – poor. A rare tiny island of tiny bubbles.
Body – dark brown, opaque.
Flavor – sweet and sticky, dark fruit. The malt on the nose is much less noticeable in the flavor. No hops, no alcohol (ABV 11.1%!), no diacetyl. Cannot detect any trace of the scotch barrels or peat, and I’m a scotch drinker.
Palate – full, creamy, soft carbonation.

An interesting take on a quad – makes me wonder what the base beer tastes like. Still, quite tasty.

Appearance 3.75, Aroma 4, Flavor 4, Palate 4, Overall 4.

 

 

 

 

 

Pours a very murky brown, almost like a muddy river. The head formation is quick to come up, with most of it disappearing rather rapidly. Khaki colored bubbles rise up around the edge of the glass, and keep a thin layer of foam constantly on the top of the beer. Lacing is spotting. Aroma is complex and tasty. Dark fruits, coriander, and cloves peep through on the Belgian quad side of the aroma. There is a peat and oak twist the otherwise rich Belgian quad aroma. Flavor profile is wonderful and robust. It opens with dark fruits and coriander before the oak barrel shows up in the profile. Peat, and moss quickly follow before finishing with a dark alcohol finish. Mouth feel is filling, with a medium-thick consistency. Very rich. Overall, Monk in Scotland provides a delightful, robust, and complex concoction of aromas and flavors without following the standard barrel aged imperial stout route. At 11.1% ABV with a very rich, complexity, this beer is best sipped slow. Preferably bundled up in an Aran sweater at a brisk cycling cobble classic morning.

Served in a 12oz snifter.